


Unexpected

by FishEyenoMiko



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: AU, Anteiku - Freeform, Cannibalism, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Secret Santa, ghoul!Hide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 07:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2843567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FishEyenoMiko/pseuds/FishEyenoMiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaneki's life has been turned upside down.  But as he tries to learn to live the life of a ghoul, he gets help from a surprising source.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: [AvatarMN](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AvatarMN)  
> Written for [Tokyo Ghoul Secret Santa](http://tkgsecretsanta.tumblr.com/)  
> This is a gift for [Jii](http://jiigya.tumblr.com/), who said she wanted to see ghoul!Hide. Hope you like it!

"So?" said Hide, "So, so, so? Who is she? The cute girl you mentioned?"

Hide looked over at the cute girl who worked at Anteiku.

"Oh, that's her, right?" 

"No it's not," Kaneki replied.

Hide sighed. "Well... I have a study group. I hope your dream girl shows up!"

"H-Hide..." said Kaneki with a blush.

Smiling, Hide stood up. Dropping enough money to pay for his drinks on the table, Hide headed off.

 

Almost immediately after Hide left, the door of Anteiku opened and in walked...

Kaneki blushed, pushing his nose even further into his book. As soon as the lovely girl passed, Kaneki looked up, watching her walk over to a small table near the back. After ordering, she took out a book-- _The Black Goat's Egg_. He was stunned. Looking up, the young woman smiled at him, showing him the book. Kaneki smiled back.

 

The woman was a ghoul, and had attacked Kaneki, nearly killing him. He had needed a transplant to survive; several organs were replaced--with those of the ghoul who had attacked him. 

 

Kaneki came home to find a bag of food hanging on his door, with a note from Hide on it. Kaneki hadn't eaten in the hospital; it had all tasted awful. Looking at the food Hide had given him, Kaneki wasn't sure it was going to be much better.

 

Kaneki stumbled along the sidewalk. He was so hungry. What could he do?

"Kill a person... take their flesh!"

Kaneki gasped. Where had that thought come from? He wasn't about to...

Something caught Kaneki's attention: A wonderful smell. It was new and yet familiar. He ran; he had to find the source of the incredible scent he'd discovered.

Kaneki was horrified to find that the smell that had so enticed him was that of a corpse. There was a ghoul sitting there, feeding off of it. He offered some to Kaneki. The boy had no time to reply, however: The ghoul's head went flying off; another ghoul had entered the scene.

"You know what you get for looting someone else's territory right?" the bespectacled ghoul asked, slamming Kaneki against the wall.

"I... I didn't know. I just happened to be passing by..."

Ghouls had "territories"? Kaneki realized he had a lot to learn about ghouls... though it seemed he wasn't going to live long enough to do so. This ghoul intended to kill him for this intrusion on his "territory".

"That's enough!" shouted a familiar voice.

Kaneki's eyes widened. Hide? What was he doing here?

The ghoul turned, his grip on Kaneki as tight as ever.

"Nagachika..."

"Let him go, Nishiki."

Hide knew this man? Kaneki suddenly felt like he'd been handed a book with the first several chapters missing.

"Oooh...?" The ghoul's--Nishiki's--grip tightened. "What's he to you?"

"That's none of your business. Just let him go and we’ll get out of your way."

Smirking, Nishiki gave Kaneki a shove. "Or I could just kill you both."

No! Whatever slight Kaneki had done to this man, he was willing to pay for. But killing Hide just for standing up for a friend?

"No..." Kaneki managed to gasp out. "Leave him... alone... please..."

Nishiki turned to Kaneki. His grip loosened just a touch and his eyes turned back to brown. He laughed, then turned to Hide.

"Oh my God! He... he doesn't know...?"

Hide stepped forward. "It's a long story. Just let him go, and--"

"Yeah, yeah... not happening!"

Nishiki tossed Kaneki roughly aside, and turned to rush at Hide.

"No..." Kaneki was gasping and coughing; he was useless and helpless, and he and Hide were going to die in this alley, all because-

Before Kaneki could complete that thought, something amazing happened: Hide's eyes turned black and red, and he leapt forward, meeting Nishiki halfway. There was a brief, quick fight; Kaneki couldn't follow what happened. But when things slowed down, Nishiki fell face down. His side was split open, blood pouring freely.

"I told you to leave us alone," said Hide, in a cold tone that was odd coming from the usually carefree young man.

Hide turned. His black-and-red eyes faded quickly. He ran forward.

"Kaneki! Are you okay?"

"Hide..."

Nishiki moved, groaning a little.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," said Hide, helping Kaneki to his feet. "He's gonna be mad when he heals up..."

"He's... gonna be okay?"

"Oh, yeah. We heal better than you hu-" Hide turned. "I... I guess you're not human anymore, are you?"

Kaneki shook his head, a sobbing cry erupting from him.

"Oh! Oh Kaneki...." Hide pulled him close. "It's okay, I'm here..."

Hide gently pulled Kaneki back so he could look him in the eye.

"Your kakugan... you can’t really control it can you?"

"I don't...?"

"Your eye... when it goes like this..." Hide made his eyes turn back and red.

"Oh. N-no."

Hide nodded.

"You haven't eaten, have you?"

Kaneki looked away. "I... I can’t..."

Hide gave Kaneki a sad look. "You're new to all this, huh?"

Gently taking Kaneki's hand, Hide gave him a serious look. 

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

Nodding, Hide lead Kaneki along.

"Where are we going?"

"Trust me." Hide turned, grinning. "It'll be okay."

Kaneki smiled weakly back.

 

They were soon near Kaneki's apartment building. Hide lead them to a nearby parking lot.

"I rented a car," Hide explained

"You rented... why?"

"I have someplace I need to go and it's too far to bike."

"And... and you want me to come with you?" If he hadn't, Kaneki reasoned, he would have just walked Kaneki back to his apartment.

"Yeah."

Kaneki nodded. But he trusted Hide, so he didn't ask any more questions about it, he just got in the car.

 

"You're... you're a ghoul."

They’re been driving about ten minutes in silence when Kaneki spoke up,

"Yeah," Hide replied. "Look, I never tol-"

"No, it's fine," said Kaneki. "I... get it. It's not like I was planning to tell you about... about my situation."

Hide chuckled. "Yeah, I can imagine."

"Did... did you guess?" Kaneki knew Hide was smarter and more observant than people gave him credit for.

"I suspected. I'm... familiar with Rize--she's kind of notorious amongst us ghouls--but I didn't know if you getting her organs would... effect you much. If I had known, I never would have left food for you."

"Ah... yeah..." Kaneki thought of how awful it had been, trying to eat human food. "I appreciate the thought, anyway."

Hide smiled at him.

 

They drove to the outskirts of the city. Hide pulled into a scenic outlook that looked over a ravine.

"We're here?"

"Yep," said Hide. He opened the trunk of the rental car and got out a bag.

"C'mon," he said. Then walking over to the railing, he casually jumped over it, disappearing down the ravine.

"HIDE!" 

Kaneki ran over to the railing, looking down into the darkness. He was surprised that he could see Hide in the dim light. The blond was standing at the bottom of the ravine waving up at him.

"Come on down, Kaneki! It's okay!"

Kaneki was stunned. It had to be nine meters down. Yet Hide was down there, perfectly fine.

Taking a deep breath, Kaneki launched him over the railing--and immediately tipped, tumbling down the hill.

Hide was laughing, but walked over and helped Kaneki to his feet none-the-less.

"Are you okay, man?"

"I... think so...?" Kaneki was surprised; it seemed like he should be injured, perhaps seriously; but he felt basically okay.

Hide grinned. "Good."

Reaching into the bag, Hide pulled out a small lantern. Turning it on, he got more things out of the bag, a long plastic poncho and latex gloves.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything for you," said Hide as he put on the poncho. "I was just going to check on you before I came here."

"It's a good thing you did," Kaneki replied.

Hide smiled, "Yeah."

Kaneki realized he could smell something. It smelled wonderful. His stomach growled and he could feel the... presence that seemed to have manifested within him since his operation clawing at the back of his mind.

"Kaneki...? You okay, bro?"

"Flesh..." was all Kaneki had to say as he headed towards the source of the smell. 

Hide lifted up his lantern, illuminating the area better. He followed his friend, helping to light the boy's way.

They didn't get far before they came across what it was that was making Kaneki's mouth water: A man lying dead in the ravine.

Kaneki cried out, backing up and falling to the ground. 

Hide jumped a bit. "Kaneki! Are you okay?"

He walked over, kneeling next to his friend.

"I... I'm sorry, I guess I just assumed you knew why we were here."

"We're... we're..."

Hide set the lantern between them. He sat down.

"This is how I... how I survive, Kaneki. I come here, and other places, and find people who've died."

"You... scavenge dead bodies..."

"Yeah." Hide's voice was calm and firm; he didn't feel the need to justify himself.

They sat for a few seconds. Finally, Hide got to his feet.

"Why don't you stay here, okay?"

"Are you gonna...?" Kaneki looked at the body.

"Oh!" Hide smiled. "I don't like to eat in the open. I'm going to take him into the trees." Hide indicated the nearby forest.

"Oh... good." Kaneki looked at the lantern. He picked it up and held it out. "Do you need this?"

Hide shook his head, grinning. "I'm good. Thanks!"

Hide took hold of the dead man's arms and dragged him into the trees.

 

Kaneki sat in the clearing, trying to hold it together. Despite the distance, he could still catch the faint scent of the dead man when the wind blew just right. He pulled his coat over his nose to try to block the smell.

Hide came out from behind the trees carrying a small tarp. He was still wearing the poncho and thin latex gloves, both of which were now covered with blood. Kaneki tried to focus on the tarp, until he realized what was in it. 

Hide walked up to Kaneki. He set the tarp down and opened it. As Kaneki had suspected, it was filled with meat and organs Hide had taken from the dead man. Taking out a hunk of meat, Hide held it out to Kaneki. "Here."

Letting out a cry of surprise, Kaneki backed away. "I... I can’t!"

"Kaneki, you have to eat."

"I... I can't," Kaneki whined. "If I... if I do, I... I feel like I won’t be a human anymore..."

Hide titled his head, with a slightly amused expression. "And what's wrong with not being human?"

"Oh! Oh God, Hide, I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Hide laughed. "It's okay."

His expression sobering, Hide set the meat back on the tarp. He knelt down, leaning in close to Kaneki.

"Kaneki..." his voice was gentle. "I'm not going to pretend to know how you're feeling. I've been dealing with this-" Hide nodded towards the tarp, "-my whole life. You haven’t, so... yeah I realize it's different for you."

"But... you need to eat, Kaneki. I know it's awful for you, but if you don't eat..." Hide sighed.

"I know this is selfish, but... but I don't want to lose you."

Kaneki looked at the sadness in his friend's eyes.

"O... okay..."

Smiling, Hide got a chunk of meat from the tarp and held it out to Kaneki.

Kaneki reached out, his hand shaking.

"Here, let me," said Hide. "Open your mouth."

Screwing his eyes shut, Kaneki opened his mouth. Hide laughed lightly.

As soon as the meat touched Kaneki's tongue, he felt an electric jolt run through him. He bit down, tearing at the raw flesh, chewing and swallowing ravenously. Hide gave him more, and he made quick of that, too.

Kaneki wasn't sure how much he ate, but soon he was quite full. He'd kept his eyes closed for most of it, but finally opened them. Hide was holding out more food for him.

"I... I'm full, thanks."

"Okay," said Hide with a smile. He leaned in. "Your kakugan is still active." He sighed. "We're gonna have to take care of that."

"How?"

"I'm not sure." Hide looked thoughtful for a moment. He shrugged. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

Hide smiled. "So, feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Okay. Let me take care of this and we'll head back."

Kaneki nodded.

 

Hide disappeared back into the trees. A few minutes later he came back without the gloves or poncho. 

"How are we going to get back up?"

Hide walked along, until he found a spot. "Here, it's not as steep here."

Kaneki looked at the area Hide was pointing at. It still looked pretty steep to him.

Taking a carabiner out of his pocket, Hide attached the lantern to his belt.

"Okay, let's go!"

With that, the blond ghoul began climbing up the ravine.

Taking a deep breath, Kaneki started after him. It was slower going for him; at one point his hand slipped and he slid down nearly halfway back down. He managed to catch himself, though, and continued back up.

Kaneki got to the top, slowly getting to his feet. Looking back down at the ravine, Kaneki realized he should have been more tired than he was.

"Wow..."

Hide laughed lightly as he unlocked the car. "Yeah, there are upsides to being a ghoul, you know."

Kaneki smiled and go in the car.

 

While eating, Kaneki had managed to push aside his revulsion at just what it was he'd been eating. But now, after the fact, he was starting to think about it, and it was making him feel sick.

"Kaneki?"

"I ate... I ate a _person_..."

"Are you gonna be sick?"

Kaneki shook his head. "I... I'll be okay..."

"Okay, good," said Hide, though he gave Kaneki a sympathetic look.

 

They finally arrived back to Kaneki's apartment building. Hide looked over at Kaneki, who looked rather distressed.

"You want me to come up?"

Kaneki just shrank down in his seat.

"Okay," said Hide as he parked. "I'm coming up with you."

 

As soon as he entered his apartment, Kaneki curled up on his bed.

Hide sat down next to him. "I'm sorry... I wish I knew what to say. I've been doing this my whole life..."

Kaneki didn't reply.

Hide rubbed his back. "Do you want me to stay?"

At first Kaneki didn't reply, but then Hide noticed him nodding just a bit.

"Okay," said Hide, laying down next to his friend.

"You know," Hide continued, "there might be a better way for you to deal with this."

"W-what do you mean?" 

"There are people who help ghouls who... well, can’t hunt or scavenge. Maybe that would be better then you going out with me."

Kaneki was surprised. There was a place ghouls could go to... eat?

Of course, that was only a small part of the problem. Regardless of how he got his... "food", it was still human flesh. And while he'd eaten some tonight, that didn't mean he wanted to keep doing it. he stifled a sob as he thought about what his life had become.

"Kaneki?"

Hide gently rubbed his friend's back.

"We can talk about this in the morning, okay?"

 

Kaneki woke up feeling a bit off. Squirming around, he realized he had slept in his clothes. He also realized the warm thing behind him was Hide, lying against him. The events of the night before came back to Kaneki, and he felt sick all over again. He sat up, groaning.

"Hide..." he shook the man. "Hide...?

Hide swatted at Kaneki's hand, turning away. "Don't wanna go to school, ma..."

Kaneki smiled. "Okay first off, it's Sunday, and second, I'm not your mother..."

Hide's eyes popped open.

"Oh. Uh..." Hide sat up, grinning. "Good morning, Kaneki!"

Kaneki smiled. "Good morning, Hide."

Hide stood up and stretched. He looked at his watch.

"I gotta take the rental car back," he told Kaneki. "Then I'll take you to meet those people I mentioned last night, okay?"

"Okay."

Hide smiled. "Sit tight, Kaneki, I'll be back as soon as I can."

 

Kaneki tried to sit and read while Hide was gone, but he was too nervous and anxious and upset. He did, at least, manage to get a shower and a change of clothes. Then he wandered around his house aimlessly. He opened the fridge a few times but he knew the few items that he hadn't tried to eat last night would be awful. He wondered if he should throw them out or try to give them away. He happened to be staring into the fridge when Hide knocked on his door.

"Hey," said Hide. He set a bag down on the counter and took out a small box. Kaneki saw it was a box of ten medical eye patches.

"That'll cover you your eye, in case your kakugan activates in public."

"Thanks!" Kaneki took out an eye patch. After a short examination, he put it on. "This is gonna take some getting used to..."

Hide grinned. "I think it makes you look... dangerous. In good way!"

"I don't wanna be 'dangerous'..." said Kaneki softly.

Hide gave him a sympathetic smile.

"So," Hide said after a moment, "You ready to go?"

"We're going to that place now?"

"Sure, why not?" said Hide. "I already called and told them we were coming."

"Oh. Okay," said Kaneki.

Hide smiled. "C'mon! You'll like these guys."

 

Kaneki was more than a little stunned when they walked into Anteiku.

"This is... the place?"

"Yeah," said Hide. He started heading behind the counter, to a door that said, "Staff Only".

The young lady who'd waited on them yesterday intercepted them. "Oi! What do you think you're doing?"

"We called ahead of time," said Hide defensively. "I'm taking him to Mr. Yoshimura... for a... job."

The girl made a face. But then she looked at Kaneki. She sniffed subtly, her eyes widening. She gave Hide a puzzled look.

"I'll explain later," he said softly, nodding toward the cafe full of people.

"Oh, all right," said the girl. "I guess we could use another pair of hands around here."

"That’s the spirit," said Hide, leading Kaneki into the back.

 

The old gentleman stood as soon as Hide and Kaneki entered the room.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Would you like some coffee?"

"I don't-"

"We'd love some!"

"Hide!"

"Trust me, Kaneki."

The man poured three cups of coffee. He handed two of them to Hide and Kaneki. Hide bowed his thanks, then began sipping his coffee. 

Kaneki nodded, as well, but was more cautious. He took a tiny sip of is coffee, and was surprised when, instead of making him want to vomit, the coffee was good; no, it was better than good. 

"This is delicious!"

The man smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"This is Mr. Yoshimura," said Hide. "Mr. Yoshimura, this is my friend, Kaneki Ken."

"Hello, Mr. Kaneki. Mr. Nagachika has given me the basic facts of your situation."

"I... I don't know what to do, sir," said Kaneki. "I can't... I... I mean, I _did_ , but the thought of spending the rest of my life e-e-eating..." he dropped his voice low, "humans..."

"I see," said Mr. Yoshimura. 

"So," said Hide, "I was thinking that Anteiku might help him. I mean, it's still human flesh, but with you providing the food, Kaneki's... sort of removed from the process, as it were."

"Ah, yes, I see." Mr. Yoshimura. He turned to Kaneki. "Did you eat meat, Kaneki? You weren’t a vegetarian?"

Kaneki could see where they were going with this. "No, I ate meat. And, yeah, it's not like I ever saw cows getting slaughtered or anything. But... it's still not quite the same thing..."

Mr. Yoshimura smiled. "I realize that. Still, perhaps if you try to think of it like that, it will help."

Kaneki just sighed.

"Meanwhile," Yoshimura continued, "Why don't you work here at Anteiku? You have a friend who's a ghoul, but here you would meet many others; both clients and co-workers. You could get to know us better."

Kaneki had to admit, he had nothing going on right now. Still: "It seems... complicated. I'm not sure how well I'd do."

"Nonsense, Kaneki," said Hide. "You're a hard worker; I'm sure you'll get the hang of it!"

Looking at Hide's smile, Kaneki couldn’t help but smile himself. He turned to Mr. Yoshimura. "All right, I'll do it."

 

Working at Anteiku was as challenging as Kaneki had feared, but it was also very rewarding. Kaneki enjoyed the customers, and got along with most of his fellow workers. Standing all day was difficult, though, and learning to make the food they offered was tricky, especially since human food smelled and tasted awful to him now. But then, all the other workers at Anteiku were ghouls, too, so at least they felt the same way. And since they did these things without complaint, Kaneki felt he had to, as well.

 

On Tuesday, when Kaneki was taking his break, one of his fellow workers walked into the break room. Yomo, a tall quiet, older man, walked up to Kaneki, setting a plate in front of him. Kaneki actually looked at the meat on the plate for a moment before he realized what it was. He let out a cry, backing away, knocking his chair to the floor in the process.

Yomo looked honestly surprised.

"I... I'm sorry," said Kaneki. "I appreciate the... the offer, but..."

"You're not used to eating human flesh, are you?"

Kaneki shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

"N-no, it's okay. I... I know you were just trying to help."

"Are you hungry?"

Kaneki thought about it. "Not really. Ghouls don't have to eat very much do... do we?"

"No." Yomo picked up the plate. "Still, you might want to talk to Mr. Yoshimura."

"Is he here?"

Yomo shook his head. "He will be tomorrow, though."

"Okay. Thanks."

Yomo nodded and left, taking the food with him.

 

Hide was waiting for Kaneki when he got off work. 

"Hey, Kaneki! Wanna walk home together?"

"Sure," said Kaneki.

They hadn't walked far when Hide coughed nervously. "So... I have this paper..."

"Oh, God..."

"It's not due until next week," Hide replied defensively. "And I'm almost done! Honest! It's just... you're so much better at this stuff..."

"You want me to look it over for you?"

"If you could? And maybe help me finish it. Not do it, just help."

"Sure," said Kaneki with a smile.

"Thanks!"

 

Kaneki groaned as he kicked his shoes off. He walked into his bedroom and sat on the bed. He took his socks off and began rubbing one of his feet.

Following Kaneki into the bedroom, Hide set his backpack onto the table. Sitting on the floor, he took Kaneki's foot and began rubbing it.

"Hide!" Kaneki blushed.

"Call it payment for helping me with my paper."

"I... I've never had someone rub my feet before."

Hide grinned. "Well, by coincidence, I've never rubbed anyone feet before!"

Kaneki laughed.

"Gimme your other foot."

Kaneki held out is other foot for Hide to massage.

"So," said Hide, "How was work?"

"Not bad..." Kaneki was still thinking about what had happened at lunch today.

"Something wrong?"

"No, not really 'wrong'. I just... someone offered me... f--food at lunch."

"But everyone at Antieku is--ooooh..." 

"Yeah..."

"You didn't eat it, did you?"

"I wasn't hungry." That wasn’t actually a lie.

Hide sighed. "Kaneki... you _have_ to eat."

"I know, I know..."

Moving up to the bed, Hide put an arm around Kaneki. 

"I... I'm sorry this has happened to you, Kaneki."

Kaneki shook his head. "It's not your fault."

There was a short, somewhat awkward silence.

"Hey," said Kaneki, "how about I look over your paper?"

"Okay!" said Hide.

 

The next day, during his lunch break, Kaneki went to see Mr. Yoshimura.

"What can I help you with, Kaneki?" asked the kind old ghoul.

"Well, Mr. Yomo said I should come see to you..."

"Ah, yes," said Mr. Yoshimura. "You haven't eaten this week, have you?"

"I... I'm not really hungry." 

"You _have_ eaten since you've become a ghoul though, right?"

Kaneki nodded.

"When?"

"Hide--my friend, you know?"

"I know Mr. Nagachika, yes," said Mr. Yoshimura with a smile.

"Oh, right," said Kaneki. "Anyway, he went... er 'scavenging', and brought me along."

"You scavenged with your friend?" Mr. Yoshimura seemed intrigued.

"He did most of the work. I... I just kinda... a-ate..."

"But you _were_ able to eat," Mr. Yoshimura pointed out.

Kaneki nodded.

Mr. Yoshimura just smiled at him.

"You... think I should go scavenging with him again?"

"Yes, I do."

 

Hide was waiting for Kaneki after work again. He was grinning widely.

"What...?"

"I got to surprise my teacher--I turned that paper in early!"

Kaneki laughed. "Know what you got on it yet?"

"No. We won't get it back until for a few weeks."

"I see," Kaneki replied. "Well I think it was good, so you should do well."

"Thanks!"

They walked for a bit in silence. Finally, Kaneki spoke up.

"Hide... when are you going scavenging again?"

"Friday night. Why?"

"C-can I come with you?"

Hide stopped, literally in mid-step. He turned to Kaneki. "Really? Are you sure?"

Kaneki nodded. "I... I managed it last time." He laughed. "Barely."

"Hee, true. Yeah, okay!"

"Thanks."

 

The next evening, Hide walked home with Kaneki again. 

"Do your feet hurt?" Hide asked as they walked into Kaneki's apartment.

"Yeah," said Kaneki as he sat on his bed.

"Okay!" said Hide, sitting on the floor.

"You don’t have to," said Kaneki, though he didn't pull back when Hide took hold of his foot.

"I don't mind," said Hide, removing Kaneki's sock and rubbing his foot.

Kaneki laughed lightly. "Okay."

Hide removed Kaneki's other sock and rubbed that foot.

"I really appreciate this," said Kaneki. "I don't really have any way to repay you this time..."

"It's okay..." said Hide softly. 

Kaneki realized Hide seemed upset about something.

"Hide...? What's wrong?"

"I... I should have been there. If I _had_ been there, this wouldn't have happened to you..."

"Hide..." Sitting down on the floor, Kaneki put his arm around his friend. "This isn't your fault, Hide."

Hide turned, resting his forehead against Kaneki's.

"Hide..."

Kaneki gently pushed back, looking into his eyes.

"It's okay, Hide."

Kaneki smiled at Hide, who smiled back. As he looked into Hide's face, Kaneki thought of how much his friend had meant to him; how Hide had befriended him and taken care of him, and was _still_ taking care of him.

Leaning forward, Kaneki gently pressed his lips against Hide's. Hide pulled back, looking surprised.

"I... I'm sorry," said Kaneki. "I... I..."

Reaching out, Hide grabbed Kaneki's faced and pulled him close, kissing him.

"Sorry," said Hide. "You just kinda took me by surprise."

Shifting position, Hide kissed Kaneki again.

"Well," said Hide. "So... that just happened." 

Kaneki laughed. "Yeah..."

There was an awkward silence. Then Hide spoke up: "Well, I have class tomorrow, and you've got work, so... I should probably go."

"Yeah, okay," said Kaneki.

They walked to the door.

"So, I need to go get the rental car tomorrow," said Hide, "so I won't be able to walk home with you."

"That’s okay," Kaneki replied. "Just come pick me up here when you're ready."

"Will do! See ya tomorrow!"

 

The next day, Kaneki found that he kept getting distracted at work. Between thinking about what he was going to be doing that night, and the rather surprising turn his relationship with Hide had taken, he found it hard to concentrate.

"Honestly!" his co-worker Touka muttered as he dropped another (thankfully empty) cup. "I thought you were getting the hang of this, but you're more useless then usual today!"

"Sorry... I have a lot on my mind..."

She gave an annoyed sigh. "Well, if you can't work, maybe you should just go home."

"Kaneki," said Koma, another worker, "why don't you go in the back and make sandwiches. We're running low and the lunch rush should be starting soon. I'll get Kaya to come wait tables." 

"Yeah, okay," Kaneki replied, quickly retreating to the back. He'd actually gotten the hang of making sandwiches, and he suspected Koma figured he needed a job he couldn't screw up. Plus, if he did make a mistake, he'd be in the back, out of the public eye. This was fine with Kaneki; he needed an easy job right now. Plus, he was just hungry enough that being around humans was getting... awkward.

 

Kaneki hurried home after work. He wasn't sure when Hide would show up, and he didn't want to make him wait. Plus, the faster he got home, the less time he spent surrounded by tempting smell of delicious humans.

Kaneki had worn fairly nice clothes to work, but, considering what he and Hide were going to go do, he changed into a scruffier outfit. Then he waited for Hide to show up.

 

Finally, there was a knock on the door. "KANEKI!"

Kaneki opened his door and dragged Hide inside. "Shhh! You want the whole building to know you’re here?"

Hide laughed. "Relax, Kaneki! It's not like they know what we're doing. That's why you're worried, huh?"

"Yeah, kinda..." Kaneki replied.

"Sorry," said Hide. "Ready to go?"

"I think so..."

"C'mon, Kaneki! It'll be fine."

 

They drove out of town, taking a different route than they had last time they went. It made sense; there were a lot of reason you wouldn't want to scavenge in the same place very often.

They pulled behind a car that was already parked. Getting his bag and his lantern out of the back, Hide turned the lantern on and headed out into the trees. Kaneki followed along quietly. Soon, the smell of human flesh hit Kaneki's nose.

"Yeah, we're close," said Hide, who heard Kaneki sniffing.

Sure enough, they walked around a tree and practically ran right into a man hanging from another. A small, knocked-over stool lay on the ground.

"Oh, God..." Kaneki gasped.

"Poor fella..." said Hide.

Handing Kaneki the lantern, Hide set his bag down. Opening the bag, he pulled out two plastic ponchos and a small box of latex gloves. He also pulled out a small knife.

"One of us needs to climb up and cut him down," said Hide. "And the other should hold him so he doesn't move around too much, and he doesn't just fall down when he's cut loose."

"I'll climb," said Kaneki. The thought of holding the body made him rather ill.

"Okay," said Hide. He put on one of the ponchos and a pair of gloves.

"Should I... put those things on, too?"

Hide shook his head. "I'll be touching the body, but you won’t. Though if you want to take a pair of gloves to put on when you cut the rope..."

"It's okay," said Kaneki, shaking his head.

Kaneki quickly climbed the tree. While he had always been relatively fit, he was finding that physical activities were coming to him a lot easier now. Hide was right; there _were_ advantages to being a ghoul.

Hide held the body and Kaneki cut the rope. Hide slowly lowered the man to the ground as Kaneki climbed out of the tree.

Carefully arranging the man's body, Hide said a quick prayer over him. 

"I'm gonna start eating," Hide said. "Do you remember that knocked-over tree we saw on the way here?"

Kaneki nodded.

"Do you want to go sit there, and I'll bring you some food?"

"Yeah," Kaneki replied. "Thanks."

"No problem!"

 

Kaneki had only been sitting on the log for a few minutes when Hide walked up. He was carrying a tarp; Kaneki already knew what was in it.

Opening the tarp, Hide picked up a piece of meat.

"A-actually..." Kaneki began nervously.

Hide frowned. "Kaneki, you have to-"

"I know. I... I was thinking I could try it myself."

"Oh!" Hide smiled. "Yeah, okay. Hang on."

Carefully taking off his gloves, Hide set the bag, which he'd been carrying over his shoulder, onto the ground. He got the other poncho and the box of gloves out of it, handing them to Kaneki.

"I'm not sure you'll need the poncho," Hide mused. 

"I think I'll wear it anyway," said Kaneki, even as he put it on.

"Okay!" Hide smiled. It was clear he was glad Kaneki was at least trying to take a more active role when it came to eating.

Putting on a pair of gloves, Kaneki walked over to the tarp. The lantern was close enough that he got a good view of its contents. He turned away, feeling ill, but managing not to retch.

"Oh, Kaneki," said Hide sympathetically. "Let me get it for you..."

Kaneki nodded. "Sorry," he said, sitting back down on the log.

"It's okay," said Hide, bringing Kaneki a piece of meat. "Like I said before, I'm used to this, you aren’t."

"True," said Kaneki, taking the meat from Hide. He held it a moment, then took a bite. His hunger took over, and he quickly finished off the bit of meat Hide had given him. Hide handed him another piece and he gobbled that one down, as well.

Emboldened by his appetite, Kaneki got up and went over to the tarp again. Sitting next to it, he began picking out chunks of meat to eat.

Finally sated, Kaneki got up and walked back over to the log.

Hide sat down next to him. He stripped off his gloves.

"You okay?"

"I... I will be."

Hide smiled. He gently patted Kaneki stomach. "Nice and full?"

Kaneki laughed. "Yes, thanks."

"Good."

Hide got up. Give me the stuff and I'll go get rid of it."

Kaneki got took off the gloves and poncho. "Can I help?"

"Nah, it's okay." 

"Okay. Actually, mind if I go wait in the car?"

"No, go ahead."

"Okay!"

"Wait," said Hide as Kaneki turned to walk off.

Kaneki turned back around. "Yes?"

Stepping forward, Hide leaned in and kissed Kaneki gently.

 

"So..." said Kaneki, as they drove home, "I could get used to this."

Hide smiled. "Me, too! I used to go with my parents, and it was kinda fun." Hide winced, apparently realizing how that sounded. "I mean, being with them and stuff, not..."

"I know what you mean," said Kaneki.

"So you wanna do it again next week?"

"I think so, yeah,"

"Cool."

Kaneki laughed.

 

They arrived at Kaneki's apartment building.

"Should I just drop you off, or...?"

"I... I'd like you to come up," Kaneki replied.

"Okay," said Hide. "Are you okay?"

Kaneki gave him confused look. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, last time I came up with you because you were upset. I guess you just to hang out with me this time...?"

"... yeah, something like that..." Kaneki looked away nervously, blushing.

"What do you me-" Hide's eyes widened in surprise. "Oooooohh... Are you sure?" 

Kaneki nodded. He turned, smiling. Hide smiled back. 

Looking around, Hide saw that there was no one around, so he leaned over and gave Kaneki a quick kiss.

As they got out of the car and headed up to Kaneki's apartment, he couldn't help but smile. The last few weeks of his life had been difficult, and he'd changed in ways he could never imagine. But thanks to Hide, Kaneki decided living life as a ghoul wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.


End file.
